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Jackie Robinson was a unique individual. He was a smart, charismatic, aggressive man always destined for greatness. In 1947 he changed baseball and American society forever. When he first walked onto the diamond at Ebbets Field he was faced with overwhelming hatred and bigotry. He was ridiculed and spit on, cursed at and degraded but through everything he never lost his composure. Jackie Robinson paved the way for black athletes to experience the wonderful delights of playing professional sports. Professional athletes from every corner of the world owe Jackie Robinson a debt for raising the level of dignity in their particular sport. Today forty-nine percent of Major League Baseball players are minorities, up from a meager two percent in 1950. Jackie Robinson undoubtedly belongs in the history hall of fame because he helped eradicate the shameful barriers placed on pro sports and all other aspects of life. “A life is not important, except in the impact it has on others lives,” Robinson once said. By that standard, few people have made the same impact as Jackie Robinson. Robinson was always a great athlete but like all other blacks during the time period, he received little recognition for his ability. Robinson